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In comparison to the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) may be more relevant for use in research settings to provide more detailed assessment of the negative and positive symptoms of psychosis, schizophrenia, and related disorders. The BPRS may be useful when assessment of general symptoms is all that is needed and when a high level of precision regarding positive and negative symptoms is unnecessary.

Protocol:

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for Schizophrenia is a proprietary instrument, and administration requires a license from Multi-Health Systems (MHS) Inc.:

Protocol Name from Source:

Availability:

Personnel and Training Required

The following instructions are included in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for Schizophrenia technical brochure, available from the Multi-Health Systems (MHS) Inc. website:

The PANSS scale should be administered and scored by trained mental health professionals. Individuals who are not trained in psychiatric interviewing techniques or who do not have extensive experience working with schizophrenic populations cannot accurately use the PANSS. Potential users of the instrument should be familiar with the standards for psychological and educational testing developed by the American Psychological Association (APA), the American Educational Research Association, and the National Council on Measurement in Education and with the practice standards of the APA. Qualified test users should also be members of professional associations that endorse a set of standards for the ethical use of psychological or educational tests or licensed professionals in the areas of psychiatry, psychology, medicine, social work, nursing, or an allied field.

Equipment Needs

None

Requirements

Requirement Category

Required

Major equipment

No

Specialized training

Yes

Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection

No

Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual

Yes

Mode of Administration

Clinician-administered interview

Life Stage:

Adult

Participants:

Age 18 and older

Selection Rationale

The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) for Schizophrenia was compared to similar instruments and selected because it is a validated, reliable, and well-established measure of schizophrenia symptoms. Additionally, the Expert Review Panel (ERP) notes that assessment of schizophrenia should be done by a clinician because self-report measures can produce false positives.

Protocol ID:

Variables:

Measure Name:

General and Psychosis-related Psychopathology Symptoms

Release Date:

November 28, 2017

Definition

A clinician-administered rating scale for assessing symptoms of psychotic disorders.

Purpose

This clinician-administered interview assesses the severity of major psychiatric symptoms. This measure includes two protocols, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Both measures include ratings of general psychopathology and can be used to assess the effectiveness of interventions in populations with moderate-to-severe psychotic disorders. The PANSS includes all of the BPRS items and additional items that provide a more detailed assessment of the severity of the negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia and related disorders. Thus, the PANSS is particularly useful in assessing the effectiveness of interventions for positive and negative symptoms in this patient group.